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Agree/Disagree: Tim Cook is right to use his power as Apple CEO in opposing Indiana's "religious freedom" law.
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Tuesday Highlights: Los Angeles Times explores Tim Cook's forging of "an unusual path as a social activist", seen as "a big departure from predecessor Steve Jobs"; Matt Asay at ReadWrite digs in to Apple's intent to buy "very particular talent" in the data infrastructure field; Marco Tabini counts the ways "the tech behind Apple Pay can change our lives"; the US International Trade Commission now investigating Apple for patent infringement following Ericsson's filing of lawsuit with ITC; Cult of Mac looks at how Joseph Eichler, a real estate developer, was instrumental in the forming of the Apple we know; 9to5Mac reporting of Apple hiring Dolby's Mike Rockwell in effort "to bolster audio and display technologies"; if you are seeing double login prompts, MacIssues has a fix for you to try; Architosh looks at latest AutoCAD and future on Mac; TekRevue looks at Amazon Cloud Drive; Kirk McElhearn's 12th installment of fixing iTunes calls for Apple to fix Home Sharing; global market for wearables seen at 126 million units shipped, Apple will ship 46 million in 2015; interesting stat says about one-half to two-thirds of Apple Pay users have had problems with checkout; here's a 4k video flyover of Apple's spaceship campus; Jay Z's Tidal music service revealed in Billboard interview, Apple's apparently trying to poach artists; soon you can play Pac-Man on Google Maps; 36 patents granted Apple today, more in our Hardware/Software section; Michael deAgonia has a "deep-dive review" of the new Force Touch MacBook Pro 13; The Verge performs camera test between iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S6; Peter Cohen on whether or not Apple's Thunderbolt Display is worth it.

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"Apple Acquires Stack of LTE Patents: Apple has acquired a large number of patents related to the fourth-generation LTE mobile technology in order to prepare for possible legal disputes with archrival Samsung." Chosunilbo: S. Korea 8:54 PM

"Apple won't demand billion-dollar payment or bond from Samsung for at least a few months" Foss Patents 8:36 PM

"No, Bruce Willis isn't suing Apple over iTunes rights: The idea that the 'Die Hard' star would be suing because he wants to pass on his 'vast' digital music library to his children is enticing - but doesn't stand up to reflection. Or to his wife's consideration." The Guardian 5:47 PM

"Bruce Willis to take on Apple over iTunes inheritance: It may not be enough for the plot of the next 'Die Hard' movie, but actor Bruce Willis' move to take on Apple over music rights could make him a hero to millions of iTunes users worldwide." CNET News 9:00 AM

"Buffalo's George Wilson uses iPad as part of game plan: During the National Football League season, the team captain and strong safety for the Buffalo Bills doesn't go anywhere without the Apple tablet. He uses it to study his plays and improve the game." USA Today 5:57 PM

"Sweet music for Google boss: Wendy Schmidt declared that she is happy living separate from her billionaire tech exec husband Eric Schmidt — but Page Six can reveal the Google executive chairman has been spending time with concert pianist Cho-San Nguyen." New York Post 10:13 AM

"Back-to-school season a boon for cellphone makers" The Canadian Press [Free Registration Required] 10:00 AM

"On September 4, 2012, iTeleport on the Mac App Store will have a price drop from its current $49.99 price to $1.99 for 24 hours, in conjunction with Two Dollar Tuesday. This is a 96% price drop! Additionally, iTeleport on the iPhone / iPad App Store will have a price drop from $24.99 to $7.99." iTeleport 9:37 AM

"Did PC makers copycat the MacBook Air and Pro? A San Francisco-based creative director and design consultant looks at PC notebooks before and after Apple introduced the MacBook Air. Looks familiar." ZDNet 10:49 AM

"IBM and Somerset council in tiff over South West One venture: IBM and Somerset County council are currently in a dispute over their joint venture outsourcing company South West One." The Register 10:39 AM

"Microsoft awards itself Google-esque power over Hotmail, SkyDrive etc: Microsoft has tweaked its fine print so it can reuse its users' photos, emails and chat messages to polish its online services." The Register 10:38 AM

"Quantum chip breakthrough to be unveiled: Scientists have built a new quantum chip that will enable the creation of completely secure mobile phones and ultra-fast computers with capabilities far beyond today's devices." Financial Times [Paid Membership Required] 9:51 AM

"Long Live Silicon Valley: Many people claim that Silicon Valley is a dying region, but from what I've seen, it always reinvents itself." PC Magazine 10:14 AM

"Asia Markets: Asia stocks slip in muted start to trading/Asia shares meandered mostly lower in relatively quiet Tuesday trading, with U.S. markets closed for a holiday and investors looking ahead to major events later in the week." MarketWatch 9:04 PM